The Scrumptious Pantry is food the way it is supposed to taste. Because what you eat should taste of the terroir in which it is grown. You should taste the care and passion which the local farmers puts into growing their organic crop. And – last but not least – it should taste like your Grandmother’s unadulterated recipes brought up to date.

My grandmother’s pasta recipes involved ketchup, but I get the point.

1. Temperature. You should know how hot your grill is, and you can save yourself a lot of over- or undercooked meals by using your meat thermometer, just like you would for a roast in the oven. Duh.
2. Timing. The grill does not the forgive, it lives to consume your very expensive cut of meat in heat and flame.
3. Technique. Indirect or direct grilling? It depends on the cut of the meat and the thickness. Some cuts of meat (for instance, a two-inch bacon-wrapped filet mignon), start at high direct and finish and medium indirect.
4. Tending. Opening the grill to check your food often is counter-productive. On the other hand, the sudden spike in the temperature gauge and the billowing smoke may be a sign that food is on fire.

My Weber came with a two-page printed quick guide that’s now available online. This guide has never steered me wrong—the times, temperature, and recommendations for indirect vs. direct grilling are spot-on. I still refer to this guide almost every time I fire up the grill. Three other lessons I learned the hard way:

1. Preheat your grill. Turn all the burners to high, and wait for the temperature to reach 500 degrees. Then, adjust the burners and temperature to the proper setting. However, preheat doesn’t mean “turn your grill on and forget about it for an hour.” That way lies peril.
2. Oil your grill. I use a silicone brush or a paper towel, and I oil just before I put the food on the grill. Oiling earlier than that is pointless.
3. Clean your grill. The reference above to the grill fire? Happens whenever I make lamb chops without first cleaning the slide-out bottom tray.

Our Chicago springs and summers go by so fast—here’s to as much warm and sunny as we can get!

• Three servings of a lean protein (three to six ounces each)
• One serving of dairy (six ounces)
• One serving of grains (1/2 cup of cooked rice or a slice of bread)
• Two servings of legumes (1/2 cup of beans would be a serving)
• One serving of nuts or seeds (think, a small handful)
• Two protein shakes
• Ten servings of oils (1 tsp per serving)
• Three servings of fruit (one apple or three apricots would equal a serving)
• One serving (approximately 1/2 cup) of a starchy vegetable like squash, potatoes, or carrots
• Unlimited amounts of vegetables like lettuce, green pepers, asparagus, cucumbers, leafy greens, mushrooms, and zucchini

It’s actually a lot of food, and most days I don’t get all of my servings. I try to get the lean proteins, the shakes, the fruits and veggies in (the beans, not so much). I didn’t give up my two martinis each night, and I occasionally indulge (as my nutritionist says, indulgence is a good part of life, as long as you’re doing it every day). And the weight came off–and has stayed off.

I’ve got friends who swear by the point system at Weight Watchers, and I know people who’ve managed to take off weight simply by tracking their calories with apps like Lose It!. What matters most, I think, is that we pay attention to what we’re eating and we try to take in the most nutritious foods possible with every meal. Whatever your goal, and however you’ve decided, to reach it, good luck and be good to yourself!

Taken from the Dutch ‘verloren hoop’, meaning ‘lost troop’, Forlorn Hope was the name given to the band of soldiers who volunteered to lead the charge directly into enemy defenses. The chance of success for the Forlorn Hope was always slim, but the glory and rewards granted to survivors ensured no shortage of applicants.

Great name, great pour, and I’m glad to have scooped up a couple of bottles from In Fine Spirits’ cache of otherwise sold-out wines.

I learned about the book about five months ago, when I was looking for a way to change up my workouts. After three years of adhering fairly strictly to a five-day split, I felt that my returns were diminishing as my injuries were mounting (rotator cuff, knee, elbows … aging is a bitch!). I considered doing Cross-Fit, but I decided to give the New Rules program a try first, and it was exactly the change I needed.

Twenty rules in all, but here are the first five to get you started:

1. The best muscle-building exercises are the ones that use your muscles the way they’re designed to work.
2. Exercises that use a lot of muscles in coordinated action are better than those that force muscles to work in isolation.
3. To build size, you must build strength.
4. To build size and strength, you must train hard but less frequently, with plenty of recovery time between workouts.
5. The goal of each workout is to set a record.

The rise of bootcamp programs, TRX training, piloxing, Cross-Fitm and zumba  indicates to me that  general sensibilities about fitness are trending toward functional strength, mobility, and flexibility–a really positive evolution in our quest to get and stay healthy. With the focus on compound movements, large muscle groups, and systematic cycles for workouts, The New Rules of Lifting offers an awesome framework for people who want weights at the center of their workout. Press this!

I’m a city boy, born and raised, mostly apartments, only Chicago. Was 33 when I planted my first flower (a rosebush in the small front yard of our townhome), and 38 when I planted my first vegetables. So I’ve got a lot of admiration for people who know their way around a garden or vegetable patch and a lot of envy for those who grew up eating fresh dinners made at least partly from what was growing in their backyard.

My colleague Kate recently shared a number of links for gardeners that I found very useful:

• Square foot gardening: http://www.squarefootgardening.org/
• Seed growing in the snow: http://www.gardendesign.com/seed-sowing-snow?pnid=122085#gallery-content
• A planting calendar by zip code: http://sproutrobot.com/
• Gardening without a garden: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/gardening-without-a-garden-10-ideas-for-your-patio-or-balcony-renters-solutions-167221
• Colorful garden plans: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/special-spots/colorful-front-yard-garden-plans/
• Organic gardening: http://planetforward.ca/blog/my-organic-garden-2012-seedlings/

In the next few weeks we’ll be planting a cutting garden on the deck as well so we can have fresh flowers in and around the home. Welcome back, sunshine and warmth, I’ve missed you.